City of Basketball Love

Max Buchdahl (@max_buchdahl)
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Only one week after upsetting then-no. 25 Dayton, the La Salle Explorers traveled to Kingston, Rhode Island for an A-10 matchup against the Rams. The Explorers were coming off of an 83-61 road loss to Richmond, and were looking for their first road win of conference play as they faced a team which had lost two games in a row. The Rams were able to end the losing streak though, defeating La Salle, 73-62.

At First…

Explorers forward/center Tony Washington started off the scoring for these two teams with a layup in the early minutes, but it would be La Salle’s only lead of the entire game. Rhode Island used a 14-3 run to open up a 22-9 lead at the 7:37 mark, and although La Salle tried to chip away in the final minutes, Rhode Island still lead by nine, 31-22, at halftime.

Turning Point…

La Salle had cut Rhode Island’s lead to five points at the 7:23 mark on a jumper by Jordan Price, and it looked as if the momentum was heading in the Explorers’ way. Rhode Island responded, though, going on a 10-3 run which culminated with three-pointer by Four McGlynn, giving Rhode Island a 61-49 lead with 4:03 to play. After McGlynn’s three, La Salle never got within nine points of the Rams.

Shining Stars…

Rams forward Kuran Iverson picked up his third double-double of the season, finishing with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

Price led the way for the Explorers with 20 points, and Johnnie Shuler hit five three-pointers, all of which came in the second half. Shuler finished with 16 points.

Noteworthy Numbers…

56.8: Rhode Island shot a stellar 56.8% from the field, and missed just three of the 21 free throws the team attempted. It was the Rams’ shooting which made the difference on Saturday afternoon.

4: The most total rebounds by an individual Explorers player (Price). La Salle finished with just 16 team rebounds, compared 37 team rebounds for the Rams.

Up Next…

Rhode Island (11-7, 3-2) @ George Washington (Jan. 22, 7:00 p.m.)
La Salle (5-10, 1-4) vs. Temple (Jan. 20, 7 PM)